AJK Assembly approves Rs 73.5 billion budget

MUZAFFARABAD, June 24 (APP): The Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Legislative Assembly Friday approved a budget of Rs 73.5 billion
for the next fiscal year.

On the same day, Finance Minister Ch. Latif Akbar presented
it in the house by suspending the rules and without any debate on
it as the opposition was not interested to start debate on it due to
electioneering.

The Finance Minister Ch. Latif Akbar presented the budget
having an allocation of Rs 61 billion for current expenditures and
an amount of Rs 12.5 billion was allocated for development schemes.

Soon after the speech of Finance Minister lasted for about
two hours, he moved a motion to suspend the rules of the house and
approve the budget as whole without any debate which was adopted
within minutes and the house was prorouged and would possibly next
Assembly to meet as the general elections are scheduled on July 21.

The Finance Minister readout a lengthy speech whis was an
increase of Rupees half a billion in the development outlay as
compare to the current fiscal years budget.

A ten percent increase in salaries of the government employees
and pension of retired employees was also announced by the AJK
Finance Minister like the federal government.